User:Truco/Sandbox
| File:OTS2011logo.jpg | |
| Parent | Les Cars Rouges |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 5500 Tuxedo Road, Hyattsville, Maryland |
| Service type | Tourism |
| Alliance | The Big Bus Company |
| Routes | Varies with each city |
| Destinations | Washington, D.C., Paris, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York City |
| Website | http://www.opentopsightseeing.com/ |
Open Top Sightseeing is a tour bus company that operates double decker open top buses based in the United States.
History
[edit]Open Top Sightseeing began with the establishment of tours for Washington, D.C. by two Scandinavian entrepreneurs in the mid–2000s.
Merge with Les Cars Rouges
[edit]In 2006, Les Cars Rouges and Open Top Sightseeing agreed for a merger in which operations would continue under the Les Cars Rougues wing, although both companies would retain their separate identities. Les Cars Rouges began operation in the 1980s with the concept of bringing tourism through double decker buses by Abdallah El-Azm. Living in London for over twenty years, El Azm brought the concept of using open top buses for tours when he realized that Paris had no laws restricting vehicle heights. Les Cars Rouges began operation once El-Azm was able to acquire second-hand double deckers buses from Austria.
Merge with The Big Bus Company
[edit]In May 2011, Les Cars Rouges, which was the parent of Open Top Sightseeing, agreed to merge with the largest open top company in London, The Big Bus Company. With this merger came about the establishment of Big Bus Tours, the new identity which all three companies were now operating under. With this merger, Open Top Sightseeing became part of the largest tour bus company in the world.